Forge and Laurie, out camping
Sep. 24th, 2006 10:46 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
x-forge.livejournal.com posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
xp_logsNot everyone thought to bring a tent, and when bug spray doesn't work, it's time for some attempted mooching...
Laurie slapped a hand against her neck for what seemed like the millionth time and turned a longing look toward the mansion. Now she remembered exactly why she'd always hated camping. Even with bug spray on they always seemed to really love biting her. She reached down to scratch at the small welts already raising on her legs and turned around to watch Forge putting up his tent.
"Why's your tent got all those little bottles attached to it?" she asked, frowning slightly.
With a quick press of a button, Forge's tent sprang into shape, forming a small dome. "The green ones are compressed nitrogen," he explained, "helps the tent hold its shape without poles. Plus, keeps it cool and dry no matter what the weather outside. The blue ones, however, are a mixture of carbon dioxide and n-diethyl toluamide. Basically it keeps a micron-thin layer of bug spray surrounding the skin of the tent. Air gets in, bugs stay out. I patented it a month ago, actually. Marketing it to the travel and tourism industry."
He pushed aside the flap of his tent, deploying the small inflatable mattress inside. "Nothing says that camping can't be comfortable."
Laurie gave him a speculative look, weighing up what she might need to bribe Forge with to get him to let her share his tent. Cookies? Nah, she'd made those for everyone, so those weren't any good. Promising to do his laundry for a month? Possibly but she had chosen to go on this camping trip voluntarily, so was a bug free night really worth the work?
Laurie winced and slapped at her leg, glaring down at the smear of bug that was left. Okay, anything was worth a bug free night.
"Forge, you know, that tent looks awful big for just one person."
"Only because I'm a small person," Forge replied obliviously. "I designed it for the average backpacker, you know, six-two with a bunch of gear. I suppose in a pinch you could fit more than... one... person..."
He looked over his shoulder out the tent flap to where Laurie was perched atop her sleeping bag. "Ah," he said. "No."
"Pleeeease! I promise I won't hog all the space, and I don't snore and I'll do your laundry for a month! Just please, save me from the bugs." Laurie replied, talking in a rush and looking at him with the most artful 'I'm helpless and being eaten alive by things' expression she could muster.
Forge held up one steel finger for emphasis. "For one, I twitch in my sleep. Two, you're a student and I'm a staff member, so a world of no. And three, bug spray." He paused there, three fingers in the air. "Unless..."
He rummaged around in the pockets of his cargo shorts, pulling out a small MP3 player. "It might be that your power's actually attracting bugs, and probably overpowers most commercial bug spray. But I'll bet it won't overpower ultrasonics..."
He cracked open the back of the case, making a few adjustments with a probe, the barely-perceptible smell of solder wafting out of the tent. Reattaching the case, he tossed the small device out to Laurie. "There you go. Should last about six hours, and repel most of the bugs. Just make sure you sleep far away from Kyle or Terry."
Laurie put the device on, attached it with the clip to her belt and turned it on, sighing in relief as the bugs found somewhere else to be. She hadn't thought that her powers might be attracting the critters but she supposed it made sense, although she'd have to look up the actual biological explanation later. Kyle and Terry though, why did she need to stay away from them?
"What's wrong with sleeping near Kyle and Terry?" she asked, confused.
"They actually hear the buzz," Forge explained, unrolling his blanket over the small mattress and stretching out. "You want to repel bugs, not have those with enhanced hearing coming after you with hatchets."
"Oh." Laurie said, looking down at the device and wondering what it must be like to have hearing that good.
She'd learnt so many different things since she'd been here, just from the people around her, and there was always something new every day. She supposed she wouldn't have it any other way, it was nice to have a place where she fit in.
"You ever wonder what it'd be like to have another power? Like, super senses, or telekinesis?"
The small sigh was almost audible from outside the tent. "Every day," Forge confessed. "But it'd change everything, when I stop and think about it. My life, who I am, none of it would be the same if I couldn't do what I do. Besides, who I am and what I do makes a difference. So yeah, I wonder. But I'm happy with what I can do."
He reached over to zip the tent, looking out briefly to smile at Laurie. "Besides, telekinesis is a really inefficient way to get rid of bugs. Night, Laurie."
Laurie slapped a hand against her neck for what seemed like the millionth time and turned a longing look toward the mansion. Now she remembered exactly why she'd always hated camping. Even with bug spray on they always seemed to really love biting her. She reached down to scratch at the small welts already raising on her legs and turned around to watch Forge putting up his tent.
"Why's your tent got all those little bottles attached to it?" she asked, frowning slightly.
With a quick press of a button, Forge's tent sprang into shape, forming a small dome. "The green ones are compressed nitrogen," he explained, "helps the tent hold its shape without poles. Plus, keeps it cool and dry no matter what the weather outside. The blue ones, however, are a mixture of carbon dioxide and n-diethyl toluamide. Basically it keeps a micron-thin layer of bug spray surrounding the skin of the tent. Air gets in, bugs stay out. I patented it a month ago, actually. Marketing it to the travel and tourism industry."
He pushed aside the flap of his tent, deploying the small inflatable mattress inside. "Nothing says that camping can't be comfortable."
Laurie gave him a speculative look, weighing up what she might need to bribe Forge with to get him to let her share his tent. Cookies? Nah, she'd made those for everyone, so those weren't any good. Promising to do his laundry for a month? Possibly but she had chosen to go on this camping trip voluntarily, so was a bug free night really worth the work?
Laurie winced and slapped at her leg, glaring down at the smear of bug that was left. Okay, anything was worth a bug free night.
"Forge, you know, that tent looks awful big for just one person."
"Only because I'm a small person," Forge replied obliviously. "I designed it for the average backpacker, you know, six-two with a bunch of gear. I suppose in a pinch you could fit more than... one... person..."
He looked over his shoulder out the tent flap to where Laurie was perched atop her sleeping bag. "Ah," he said. "No."
"Pleeeease! I promise I won't hog all the space, and I don't snore and I'll do your laundry for a month! Just please, save me from the bugs." Laurie replied, talking in a rush and looking at him with the most artful 'I'm helpless and being eaten alive by things' expression she could muster.
Forge held up one steel finger for emphasis. "For one, I twitch in my sleep. Two, you're a student and I'm a staff member, so a world of no. And three, bug spray." He paused there, three fingers in the air. "Unless..."
He rummaged around in the pockets of his cargo shorts, pulling out a small MP3 player. "It might be that your power's actually attracting bugs, and probably overpowers most commercial bug spray. But I'll bet it won't overpower ultrasonics..."
He cracked open the back of the case, making a few adjustments with a probe, the barely-perceptible smell of solder wafting out of the tent. Reattaching the case, he tossed the small device out to Laurie. "There you go. Should last about six hours, and repel most of the bugs. Just make sure you sleep far away from Kyle or Terry."
Laurie put the device on, attached it with the clip to her belt and turned it on, sighing in relief as the bugs found somewhere else to be. She hadn't thought that her powers might be attracting the critters but she supposed it made sense, although she'd have to look up the actual biological explanation later. Kyle and Terry though, why did she need to stay away from them?
"What's wrong with sleeping near Kyle and Terry?" she asked, confused.
"They actually hear the buzz," Forge explained, unrolling his blanket over the small mattress and stretching out. "You want to repel bugs, not have those with enhanced hearing coming after you with hatchets."
"Oh." Laurie said, looking down at the device and wondering what it must be like to have hearing that good.
She'd learnt so many different things since she'd been here, just from the people around her, and there was always something new every day. She supposed she wouldn't have it any other way, it was nice to have a place where she fit in.
"You ever wonder what it'd be like to have another power? Like, super senses, or telekinesis?"
The small sigh was almost audible from outside the tent. "Every day," Forge confessed. "But it'd change everything, when I stop and think about it. My life, who I am, none of it would be the same if I couldn't do what I do. Besides, who I am and what I do makes a difference. So yeah, I wonder. But I'm happy with what I can do."
He reached over to zip the tent, looking out briefly to smile at Laurie. "Besides, telekinesis is a really inefficient way to get rid of bugs. Night, Laurie."
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}